


Late Nights

by Tyranny_Mutt



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 17:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15953975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyranny_Mutt/pseuds/Tyranny_Mutt
Summary: The nightmares refuse to stop. Even when he's awake.





	Late Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I have not properly proofread this so there may be mistakes. I apologise. This is prompt number two, "Insanity". for Irateshipping Week. I am exhausted. It is dinner time.

All he could do was scream through the gag in his mouth as the searing hot blade sliced through his young flesh. He wanted out, to leap off the table and run as fast as he could away from the endless darkness of the tombs he was forced to call home. Tears began to stream down and his face and he didn’t know what made him cry more: The pain or the fact that he’d never escape. This was it. He was born to serve a long dead king, one he doubted he’d ever get to meet. This was his destiny, his purpose in life. He had no choice or freewill and was going to spend he rest of his days in some hole in the ground, never again to see the light of day.

Marik’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring at a bedside table, bare save for a lamp and a cellphone. He grabbed for his phone and looked at the time, licking his tongue when he saw the screen read ten past four. It’d been a long time since he’d dreamed about the night he god his scars. Not since he was twenty, in fact, but now nearly thirty and they were back with a vengeance. It’d been months since he’d last had a decent night’s sleep.

It had all felt so real, more so than usual, and a part of him contemplated over whether he should wake up Jonouch or not. He wanted him to roll over, wrap his arms around him and tell him everything was going to be okay. And Marik hated that. He hated feeling so weak. He wasn’t some child that needed coddling every time he had a bad dream.

Licking his dry lips, Marik suddenly felt thirsty, so instead of mopping around in bed he threw off the covers and made his way to the bathroom that was connected to their bedroom. He closed the door and flicked the switch on the wall, breathing a sigh of relief as he was engulfed by light. Marik had always hated the dark. Growing up in an underground tomb would do that to you.

He grabbed the plastic cup they kept on top of the medicine cabinet and filled it with cold water from the sink’s tap. Hie squinted at his reflection in the mirror, eyes still blurry from sleep. As he continued to stare into the mirror, his mouth dropped open and his grip loosened on the cup. He didn’t hear it as it hit the ground, neither did he feel the water as it began to pool at his feet. All he was able to register was the face staring back at him.

Due to how hectic his work schedule had been as of late, Marik hadn’t found the time to shave and had begun to sport some impressive facial hair. Facial hair that made him look scarily like his father.

Marik had always known he bore a resemblance to his father but up until now he hadn’t realised just how much. Well into his thirties and with a face full of fuzz, he was basically the man’s double and Marik wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It was almost a surreal feeling. His father was long dead yet here he was looking right back at him.

Marik was shocked out of his daze with a loud banging on the bathroom door and a shout of, “Hey, Marik, you almost done in there? I gotta take a leak.”

With great effort Marik was able to pull himself away from the mirror and poke his head out the door. With a weak smile he said, “You’re up early. Couldn’t sleep?”

Jonouch furrowed his brow looking confused. “I always get up at six on a weekday. I gotta get ready for work.”

That was impossible. There was no way it was already that late. Marik threw open the door and pushed past Jonouchi, earning him an annoyed “Hey!” in the process. He grabbed for his phone that was still on the bedside table and his eyes widened when he was what the time was. Six am. He’d been in the bathroom for well over an hour just staring at his reflection. Marik sat down on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. What was happening to him?

“Um, Marik? Are you okay?” He felt the bed dip as Jonouchi sat down next to him, his voice filled with genuine concern.

“I look just like my father,” Marik found himself muttering in a quiet whisper.

“You what now?”

Marik sighed as he placed his hands on his knees. He looked over to Jonouchi and asked, “Do you look anything like your father?”

Jonouchi’s eyes widened, obviously taken aback by the question. Jonouchi’s father had died pf a heart attack the year before Marik had moved to Domino and two years before they’d really started dating. Therefore, Marik and never gotten the chance to meet the man. And outside of one photo of him and Shizuka at the beach when they were young, Jonouchi didn’t have any pictures of his family. Marik knew next to nothing about Jonouchi’s father and up until now had never even thought of asking about him. Marik knew better than to ask too many questions about someone’s past.

Jonouchi scratched the side of his heading, seemingly confused. “I mean, not really? At least I don’t think I do. Why you bringin’ this up all of a sudden?”

“Because I might as well be my father’s double, that’s why. My hair, eyes, cheek bones, even this fucking beard...I look in a mirror and it’s as if he’s staring back at me.” Marik clenched his fists until he could feel his nails digging half moon shapes into his skin. “I thought I was finally free from that tomb but no matter what I do, no matter where I go, my past is always going to follow me. I’ll never escape what I did to my family. I’ll never-”

“Marik, calm down, you’re yelling.” Soft hands were placed on Marik’s shoulders and in a voice uncharacteristicly gentle for a man like Jonouchi, he said, “You’re not even in Egypt anymore. You’re with me, here in Japan, and you never have to go back to that place every again, got it? You’re safe.”

Marik wanted to bang his head against a wall. He couldn’t believe he’d just unloaded all of that onto Jonouchi like that. Marik tried to force a laugh as he said, “You must think I’m insane, bringing up all this ancient drama. Fuck, I’m in my thirties and talking about shit that happened when I was just a kid.”

“Nah, man, it’s okay. We all have those off days. You know you can talk to me about this stuff whenever, right? An if the way you look really bug ya then shave the beard, get a new haircut and maybe even a dye job. I always thought you’d look nice in hot pink.”

Another forced laugh, a fake smile, and Marik let him think that everything was okay. He just had a little slip up, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. 

“The bathroom’s all free up now so you can use it if you want. You should hurry up or you’ll be late for work,” Marik said, giving Jonouchi a reassuring pat on the knee. “I promise I’m okay now. Just having a weird morning.”

Jonouchi grinned, gave Marik a kiss on the head, said something about getting some rest and ran off to the bathroom. Marik groaned as he fell backwards, making a whumph sound as he hit the bed. The nightmares were bad enough but having an episode over his own appearance? Marik rolled over onto his side and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. His mental state was getting worse and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. It wasn’t as if he could go to a therapist. The moment he mentioned magic or pharaohs then he’d immediately be thrown into the funny house. So, for now, he just closed his eyes and told himself he could think more about it at another time.


End file.
